GE Exceeds Goal, Lowers GHG Intensity by 41%

Jun 05, 2009

GE announced on May 27 that it has surpassed its first ecomagination goal to reduce its own greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity and is making progress against its other goals for revenue growth, water, and technology innovation.

In 2005, the company GE made a series of commitments to be achieved sequentially in the years 2008, 2010, and 2012. The first commitment was to reduce its operational GHG intensity 30 percent in 2008. The company surpassed this goal by reducing GHG intensity 41 percent. Greenhouse gas intensity is the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to company revenue. GE also has reduced its absolute GHG emissions 13 percent and improved its energy efficiency 37 percent since 2005, keeping on track to meet its 2012 operational commitments in these areas.

With the release of the 2008 annual report, GE also announced that it

increased its portfolio of products and services by one-third, to 80;

grew revenues of offerings 21 percent, to $17 billion; and

increased its investment in the research and development of clean tech solutions 27 percent, to $1.4 billion.

The company surpassed its first commitment by transforming its own operations while using its own products, and saving money at the same time. GE achieved its first GHG-related commitment by migrating to less GHG-intensive fuels, using solar panels, advanced lighting products and Jenbacher engines, improving the energy efficiency of its production operations, and integrating GHG as a facility management objective.